The Doctor: Or How I Learned to Love The TARDIS
by brodie-wan
Summary: Week 10 is finally here! Crossovers! Come and see who the Doctor visits!
1. Chapter 1

_I'm new to Doctor Who and have only completed two seasons. This is my second attempt at Who fiction and hope you will take the time to stop and take a look. This is also a drabble thread which will contain five them words each week and the fics will each be 100-500 words. Enjoy!_

**The Doctor: Or How I Learned to Love The TARDIS**

**Week 1**

**1. Beginnings**

The Doctor loved Humans. He really did. They were at once fascinating in their ingenuity and desire for discovery and frustratingly naïve in ignoring signs of imminent danger. Take his companion, Rose Tyler, for instance. When he first met her, she was in a dark, creepy stock room surrounded by living mannequins bent on her destruction. Did she scream? Did she call for help? Did she ever think she was in real danger? No. She thought it was a joke; an elaborate prank. Given that the punch line would be her rather grisly death, he had no choice but to step into the fray.

**2. Middles**

_Her_ Doctor was gone, but The Doctor still lived. He was shorter, scrawnier, and the pitch of his voice grated on her. Like a boy playing in his father's clothes, he seemed dwarfed in the previous Time Lord's jacket and slacks. The fact that these trivialities leaped into her mind could only mean that she was in shock.

The Doctor was dead.

_Her_ Doctor was dead. Now she was trapped in the TARDIS with a stranger.

_Have a fantastic life_, he said. He had known she would need a goodbye; some sort of ending.

Did he know she loved him?

**3. Ends**

Grey clouds blanketed the Norwegian sky and a chill wind raced along the coastline as Rose waited. Even now, some weeks later, her feelings of grief and soul wrenching loss churned just below the mere melancholy she presented. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what he would do. She knew only that he would send her a message; that he would find a way to say goodbye.

She wanted to say goodbye; to start to heal, but even more, she needed to verbalize the feelings which had grown from her first Doctor to the one recently lost.

**4. First**

It was the first and only time Rose felt threatened as The Doctor's companion. He had changed when he returned from his third trip through the fireplace. There was an urgency in him that was somehow deeper, more primal. It was evident that time was marching on in 18th Century France and that The Doctor was becoming more invested in the life of Reinette Poisson.

Rose had her hands too full with Mickey and the clock work robots to be genuinely jealous. However, when the Time Lord crossed over with now evident way to return, she could not fathom he would have chosen the courtesan over her.

**5. Last**

The last time he touched her, with any meaning, was a playful hip bump as they leaned over a Torchwood computer console and calculated how to close the vortex. She smiled and met his eyes, pouring all the unspoken love she harbored into her expression.

His eyes flashed, as they usually did, and he grinned in response. She had come to accept that he would never tell her of his feelings. He didn't have to say it with words. He told with ever quirk of his lips and arch of an eyebrow; every bound in his step and wave of his arms.

He didn't have to tell her. She knew.

"Time to save the world, Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed. "Are you with me?"

"Always," she declared. "Til the end of time."

"Good."

_If you have the notion, please leave a review to let me know I'm on the right track. Cheers!_


	2. Chapter 2

**6. Lights!**

When the Doctor returned to the TARDIS, he expected to find Rose patiently twiddling her thumbs in the jump chair. Instead, what he discovered was ominously low lighting; the engine providing the only illumination.

"Lights!" he called out, a mixture of curiosity and dread taunting each other in his stomach. "Rose!"

When he received no reply, his mind flooded with every scenario of how Rose might have perished. He dashed to her room, panted to the library, and spastically heaved his way to the pool.

"Mood lighting, yeah?" she said, from her poolside chair. "I wanted to shake things up."

**7. Camera!**

"Bring your camera, Rose," the Doctor pleasantly urged. "This is something you'll definitely want to capture for posterity. But keep it hidden. The locals are technophobes."

"Technophobes?" Rose pouted. "How far back are you taking me?"

"Not how far back, Milady," the Doctor answered with a knowing grin. "How far forward."

"I don't want to take pictures of gloomy doomy things, Doctor," Rose pleaded. "The future hasn't been so bright, lately."

"Don't you worry about that, Rose Tyler. I'll bet the TARDIS that your socks will be knocked completely off."

"They better be," she declared, unable to hold a frown.

**8. Action!**

Human history has many events which inspire the Doctor. However, there is one which he returns to time and again to encourage his soul. Moses was a fine bloke and the faith he showed at the Red Sea was a sight to behold. That and the way the waters parted when he raised his staff.

Seeing it first hand, Rose said it was cool, but kept pestering him to see the only Moses she ever knew.

Placing the TARDIS strategically within DeMille's sound stage, they bounded through the doors just in time to see Charlton Heston do a fine homage.

**9. Roll!**

After the Master died, The Doctor decided to give him a burial fit for a time lord. The work would be laborious and he would not be able to do it without help. After communicating his request to the Ood, leaving out, of course, the subjugation of the human race, the Doctor was able to transport fifteen of the telepathic aliens to the site where they would construct a massive funeral pyre. The job took many days, requiring more than a small workforce. The Doctor also had to commandeer a crane to assist in the stacking of hand chopped logs.

**10. Shoot!**

It had always been the Doctor's plan to redeem the Master. No matter what hideous plan he had put into motion; no matter how many people he killed. The other man was his brother; the only brother left in the universe. He must be saved.

What the Doctor never imagined, never considered, was another kind of insanity. Lucy Saxon had also been abused. First seduced by the power and charisma of a time lord and, subsequently, driven mad by her complicity in mass murder. Not to mention, the Master's physical abuse.

It had been too much for her to take. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Week 3**

**11. hours **

The Doctor wept; not with blubbering sobs or salt water trailing rivers down his cheeks, but with two solitary tears diving to the grated floor of the TARDIS. It had been an hour since Rose's image had faded and gone. The Time Lord wanted nothing more than time to grieve, but the woman stalking his control room in a wedding dress was concerned with her own predicament.

The universe could be unfair sometimes; dropping trouble in his lap when a nice bit of tea and a moment of quiet reflection was what he desired most. Deciding the buck the universe, if only for a few minutes, he led the cantankerous bride to the jump chair and took his leave.

**12. days **

It had been three days since the Doctor's image had faded and gone; an incomplete confession of love on his lips. Rose stalked the halls of her father's mansion, exploring the many rooms, most as empty as the hole in her heart. When she was younger, before the Doctor, she would fantasize about being rich and living in a home larger than she could ever use. To have the dream come true and be nothing more than a hollow comfort was insult to the injury of the life she had lost. Dropping on to her ornate, four post bed, Rose dreamed of the TARDIS and its labyrinthine spaciousness.

**13****. weeks **

It had been six weeks since the Doctor lost his Rose. Not even the presence of smart, attentive new companion was enough to quell the ache in his hearts. To make matters worse, the new girl fancied him. He had hoped it would be just that, a surface attraction, but the more time they spent together, the more adventures they completed, the more lives they saved and lost, he could see that it was more than just a school girl crush. He couldn't allow it to continue. No matter how much he liked Martha Jones, he would not lead her on.

**14. months **

It had been 9 months since Norway. Rose was attempting to return to some semblance of a normal life. She couldn't deny that there was something cool about living in an alternate universe. Initially she would take daily trips into the city to see how many differences she could find; both large and small. It was great fun and bittersweet as well. Her fact finding missions just weren't the same with Mickey. She knew that this would be much more enlightening with the Doctor. Ha! Not only enlightening, but exciting and exhilarating. She missed the time lord and kept him close to her heart at all times. But she had to move one. He would want her to live.

**15. years **

Sometimes he wondered what it would have been like if Rose had been with him through it all. What comment she would have made, what joke might have inspired him, what insight she would have shared. Most of all, the Doctor mourned how her love might have saved him.

She would not recognize him now; new face and all. New Hair. New teeth. New gigantic brain. Scratch that. It might take a minute, but she would know him. Rose could always see through his posturing; of which he did a lot; an almost constant state of being.

_My Rose. Where are you now when I need someone to both recognize my brilliance and challenge my absurdity._


	4. Chapter 4

Author note: Not desperate, just curios as to why after three chapters, there hasn't been a single review. I'm still having fun and hope you lurkers are too. If you have the notion, hit the button and leave your thoughts.

6. Adventure (Eleven)

The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS console, propped up with one hand, the other on his hip.

"Where to, now, Miss Pond?" he said magnanimously. "The Fall of Napoleon? Roman decadence? American Revolution? British Naval warfare? Ooh, I've got it. The Rolling Stones! Before they got old, that is. The Stones are cool."

Amy waited patiently for the barrage to conclude. "How does your mind jump from military history to rock n roll?"

"Amy, Amy, Amy," he replied, grinning and shaking his head. "The Stones have conquered music history. Few bands have their longevity."

"More like long in the tooth."

7. Romance (Ten)

He programmed the room specifically for them. He never needed or wanted such a thing before he met her. But she was one who liked to stay in every once in a while. What better thing to have when burned out of time travelling adventure: a media room.

Rose covered her mouth in surprise and her eyes moistened at the sight of a recreation of the living room in her mom's flat. The big difference was a large screen TV of undetermined technological style and an old style popcorn vender sitting next to it.

He adored her hugs and kisses.

8. Science (Eleven)

"Tell me about science, Doctor," Amy said with straight face. "What is it all about?"

He peered at her shrewdly, but could detect no crack in her freckled features. "Telling you about it would be boring. I could show you so much science. But we'll need to narrow it down. There's earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, elementals, magic, sunboransac."

Amy screwed up her face in consternation. "Sunboransac? Let's stick to the basics. How about earth science?"

"Fine choice," he said, running a hand though his floppy brown hair. "Geology it is! Let's go!"

"Where are we going?"

"San Francisco, 1906!"

9. Fiction (Ten)

Given nine hundred years, ten incarnations, one TARDIS, one universe, and one planet Earth, there was bound to be written lore of the Doctor. He was never shy about his name, though his face changed from time to time. What he was, however, unprepared for were fabricated stories without a shred of truth. Yes, they got his name right, and, he guessed, his vehicle was accurately described, but he had never met George Washington and certainly didn't suggest he chop down a cherry tree. If he had met the young man, he would have suggested leaving the poor tree alone.

10. Comedy (Nine)

"I don't suppose you'd paint my toe nails," Rose suggested cautiously.

"No," the Doctor declared. "Not in this lifetime or any other."

"We could do a right bit snogging afterward," she encouraged with a seductive rise of her eyebrow.

"A tempting offer," the Doctor replied. "But time lords don't do nails. Never have."

"Time lords must not know much of 'holding out'," Rose answered, raising her eyebrows, this time in challenge.

"Of course I do," the Doctor replied annoyed. "You take my hand every time I hold it out."

"Suppose I don't."

"Oh."

"Getting the idea now, Mister?" Rose smirked. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Week 5  
><strong> 

**21. Wings (Ten)**

As the Doctor sat down to film the message, he was reminded of Sally Sparrow. He had only met her once, briefly. It was a chance meeting, but like most things related to him, destined. She was in awe of him; not because he was powerful or intimidating. No, he was a face on a television screen who saved her life.

It didn't happen very often, but when he came into contact with elements of his personal future, it was best to steer clear. Meeting the young lady in the street and in a hurry worked perfectly to those ends.

**22. Unforgiven (Ten)**

The beatings hadn't started until well after they were married. In fact, things were brilliant before the Doctor appeared. The other man seemed to bring out the worst in Harold. It was more than that, however. It soon became clear that Harold was mad; had always been mad, yet played well at sanity when setting up his endgame. When his plan was enacted, there was no need to play act with her; no need to string her along with promises of the life a first lady. Now, she was no more than a trophy, and a tarnished one at that.

**23. Rocky (Eleven)**

Amy Pond was thankful for what the Doctor called "inertial dampeners" and "gravitic stabilizers" because the control room of the TARDIS rocked more often the bridge of the starship_ Enterprise_. It was truly annoying. Although she could never know from the inside, she sometimes wondered if the time machine flew in a straight line. It seemed as if they were constantly bouncing off of highway lane barriers. With all the sparks that flew and smoke which emanated from the console, she smiled at the thought that maybe, just maybe, the Doctor was considered a bad driver among the time lords.

**24. Titanic (Ten)**

"I'm asking you to sit down and watch this with me, Doctor," Rose said, appealing to the Doctor's guilt over an earlier dust up. "You said you would."

"How long is it, again?" he inquired, regarding the video screen apprehensively.

"Three and half glorious hours," she replied, plopping on the couch and folding her legs beneath her.

"I've been there, you know. Very sad. I don't imagine a film will quite live up to the real thing."

"We've had this conversation before and that argument is not going to get you out of your promise."

"How about meeting Leonardo DiCaprio?"

**25. Crash (Eleven)**

It would have been a strange sight for anyone; but for one disaffected little girl, the toppled, smoking, blue police box was mesmerizing. It came out of nowhere and landed with quite a ruckus. She stared in wonder, not sure what to do or what weird creature might come crawling out. When one of the doors opened, on top of the box, a shaft of yellow light burst from the inside. Then a clown jumped out. He wasn't wearing makeup, but he moved awkwardly and spoke an urgent form of gibberish. Above all else, the Raggedy man was soaking wet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rated**

The Doctor was beginning to sense that Rose enjoyed her media room too much. It seemed as if she wanted him to experience 50 years of both British and American film in as the smallest window of time possible. Every 'night' that they weren't so exhausted by adventure, she would draw him to the couch for another vicarious cinematic experience.  
>They had gone from Four Weddings and a Funeral to Muriel's Wedding to My Best Friend's Wedding. The pattern was obvious. But, when she played Nanny McFee, the Doctor became more nervous than ever.<br>"Got something on your mind, Rose?"

**Guidance**

Vincent Van Gogh was a vibrant man when he was up; so full of energy and creativity and charisma. There was something inspiring about his creative process, something which caused one to be caught up in his excitement.

But when he was down, there was a horror about him. He would rage; destroying not only the few relationships he maintained, but the priceless works of art which he saw as no more than rubbish.

What Amy failed to see was that even opening the master's eyes to his posthumous success was not enough to quench the fires of his illness.

**Suggested**

It was rare that Rose saw the Doctor in anything other than his blue or brown suit. He would say good night in one suit and appear the next morning in another. She couldn't think of reason why she should have seen him otherwise. It was simply how the Doctor dressed. There was no 'Time Lord Casual'; nor was there 'TARDIS Top Hat' formal wear. Just the suits. She wondered what he might look like in a Union Jack.

She had suggested he mix it up every once in a while, but he declined saying: "I'm nothing if not consistent!"

**Caution**

When Rose stepped from the TARDIS, she immediately felt something press against her waistline. Looking down, she noticed the yellow strip of tape which extended left and right from her position. Just beyond the cordon, she saw the flashing of squad car lights and police of different types milling about. A plain clothes officer lean over a covered body and pulled the sheet back to reveal the pale face of woman.

It was the Doctor's breath on her neck which broke her momentary trance.

"What's the 'Old Girl' gotten us into this time," he muttered.

"An episode of Prime Suspect."

**Restricted**

"You, there," said a deep, resonant voice. "This area is restricted."

"We were just leaving," the Doctor replied.

"Wait a minute," the detective said, shifting his attention from the corpse to the attractive couple standing outside a police box. "Did you two see anything?"

"Nope," the time lord said. "Not a thing. Virtually blind, we are."

The detective appraised the blue box. "Did you call it in?"

"We're visitors, Inspector," Rose interjected. "From outta town."

"Did you know the victim?"

"Don't know. Who was she?" Rose asked, curious.

"Her ID says Doctor Martha Jones."

The Doctor's smile crumbled to dust. 


	7. Chapter 7

Author note: I hope all you lurkers are enjoying these drabbles. I am sure having fun writing them. If you have even an inkling to review, give in to and click the blue links. Feedback really helps. Enjoy Week 7!

**Clue (Ten)**

The game room of the TARDIS was not what one would expect given the current vernacular. It was a more of a dusty old study with two high back leather chairs facing each other in front of a fireplace. Between the two chairs was an ornate coffee table. Sitting atop the table was the game of Clue. The Doctor had already set up the board when he led Donna to her chair.

"You are too funny," Donna said through a grin. "This is brilliant!"

"So it is," The Doctor replied. "I had the TARDIS add a priest into the mix!"

**Operation (Eleven)**

The Doctor sat in the jump seat, legs crossed, with his tweed jacket laying across his lap. Lifting the lapel, he pulled a small, square, sewing kit from the interior pocket. A recent, rather nasty run in with the Judoon had resulted in a rip in the right shoulder of his jacket.

In previous days, before the TARDIS became flesh, she was willing to repair his clothes. But, presently, she was not willing and so he sewed. When he was done, the job was imperfect; the seam was off making it appear that one shoulder was higher than the other.

**Life (Rory)**

Rory had a real problem with the Doctor. He was too smart, too charismatic, and too sodding dangerous. When it came to Amy, he would rather the two of them left the time lord and returned to 'normal life'. It was safer. For her. For him. For them.

Rory wasn't blind to his fiancé's fascination with the Doctor. It was a constant irritation; like an injury which never properly healed. What made the pain sharpen was her intermittent intimacy with him. Not the Doctor; her future husband. He didn't like being a third wheel, second fiddle, or first runner up.

**Sorry (Ten)**

Even as she pleaded with him to stop, to find another way, the Doctor touched Donna's mind and erased himself and everything they had done. In so doing, he took the something greater which Donna had become and returned her to the mediocrity from whence she came. She would never know that for one incomparable moment she was the most important woman in all universes. He would try to comfort himself, saying that at least she was alive. But, he knew in hearts that, had he given her a choice, she would have chosen to die. He wouldn't have that.

**Risk (Eleven)**

It was after Venice and vampires that the Doctor took time to consider Rory's accusation. For being a touch useless, he was surprisingly observant. Risks and danger were a part of his life; almost the driving force. When he asked people to join him in his travels, he always took care of them. Didn't he? He protected them and kept them safe. Didn't he? No. He wasn't one to delude himself. Rose was gone. Donna had to forget. Martha had been through the ringer. But she _was_ stronger.

Rory was worried about Amy. And, in the TARDIS, Amy felt invincible. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Blade **

She had never pictured him with a blade; but when Donna first witnessed the Doctor wielding a rapier to affect their escape, it looked so very natural. He had an Errol Flynn flare about him; all wiry grace, fancy footwork, and cheeky confidence. Fending off three palace guards seemed nothing more than a morning constitutional for her companion. She couldn't believe it when he actually began battling them down a long flight of stairs. But, above all, like Flynn always did, the time lord fought for their lives with a playful grin of exhilaration and absolutely no expectation of failure.

**Shirt **

Amy Pond stared at the Doctor.

"How is it _possible_ that you're wearing the same shirt," she asked, incredulously. "I mean you were almost burned at the stake, right? I picked up your jacket, but your shirt was on fire!"

The Doctor fidgeted, raising an index finger, ready with and explanation. "Funny you shou-"

"You've told me that you can regenerate, but what about your clothes?" the red head interjected continuing her rapid fire rant. "Do they regenerate as well?"

"Well, er…not-"

"Is there a sweat shop on board? Children eternally sewing the same shirt, pants, and bow tie?"

"No." 

**Window **

There was one thing, only if threatened by physical torture, Rose would consider complaining about aboard the TARDIS. No windows. Sure, the Doctor had opened the front doors and given her a view that made her weak in the knees, but sometimes a girl just wanted to look out the window; put her elbows on the sill, her chin in hands, and daydream.

She wondered if it were possible. Could the TARDIS give itself windows? And, if so, why hadn't it? When she asked the Doctor about it, he snorted and said: "Can't have that. It would kill the illusion."

**Nowhere to Run **

For an instant he didn't know what the flash had been. He had watched Captain Adelaide Brooke enter her flat and turned back toward the TARDIS. She said the Time Lord Victorious was wrong. Then she proved it. By taking her own life. He slumped against the solid blue doors behind him, mouth slightly agape. Suddenly, he realized and accepted his temporary madness. The sheer magnitude of his hubris.

He sat there for a while; in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night, before he decided that Adelaide Brooke could not be discovered in her home.

**Captain **

Captain Jack Harkness liked men. And women. He liked males. And Females. The distinction is larger than one might think. Given the former time agent's travels with the Doctor as well as his service with the Torchwood Institute, he has encountered more than just the _human_ condition.

He has been known to flirt with a variety of sentient beings ranging from a pink mound of goo to a whitewashed wall. Though, as far as physical compatibility is concerned, he confines himself to humanoid species with the proper, interactive, parts. It's better that way. Much less complicated and infinitely more enjoyable.


	9. Chapter 9

**Theater Six: Adult Themes!**

**Sex**

"Of course I think it about; only in as much as it flits across my mind from time to time. I am a man after all."

"You're not a man, Doctor. You're a Time Lord. I wonder if that means you think about it more than the average human male or less."

"Rose, this isn't a proper topic of conversation."

"Good! Proper makes me itch."

"I'm warning you, Young Lady."

"Getting steamed up, are ya?"

"Not a bit. But if I were, you'd be the one to do it."

"So you think about it and me?"

"From time to time."

**Graphic**

It was strange to see Rose so suddenly demure; hiding all but her eyes behind the lone sheet still remaining on the bed. Though he couldn't see it, he was sure her tongue protruding ever so slightly through her teeth. Only moments before, she was so fierce, so aggressive; almost feral. She directed him, making sure that her pleasure was as exquisite as she was making his.

He rolled on his side flashing a satisfied smile. "My Rose," he said. "Forever."

Her eyes twinkled contentedly and she dropped the sheet, exposing her own dreamy grin. "My Doctor," she replied. "Always."

**Violence**

"Blimey!" the Doctor exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

Rose stood before him, arms folded, her grey hoody hanging loosely around her shoulders. She punched his arm again, a little harder for effect.

"Ouch! What did I do?" he said, taking a couple of steps back.

"That was for leaving without telling me?" she finally replied.

"You were sleeping; quite beautifully I might add," the time lord said in his defense. "I wouldn't wake such fascinating creature when so blissfully at rest."

His blonde companion, now so much more, couldn't hold her tiff and jumped into his arms.

**Language**

It was over chips, on a sunny day at Dunkirk, where Rose asked: "Have you ever been to a planet where the TARDIS was unable to translate the local language?"

"Rose, we're visiting the site of one the greatest wartime rescues in history and that's what you're thinking about?"

"I was just thinking how much more impressive you'd be if you stopped an interspecies war by waving your hands, grunting, and dancing in a circle in nothing but your knickers."

"That would impress you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Nah," she replied. "But it would be quite a laugh, yeah?"

**Drugs**

Rose watched from the jumpseat as the Doctor adjusted the TARDIS console.

"Doctor," she asked, bored by the time lord's tinkering. "Do you know what they say about green M&Ms?"

"Have to know what an M&M is before postulating on the significance of the green ones.

"You don't-never mind. The point is that the green ones are supposed to be an aphrodisiac."

"Yes, and...?"

"Would you like one?"

"Rather busy at the moment Rose."

"I've already eaten most of them. The rumors must be true. I'm feeling rather randy."

"I'm sure that has nothing to do with M&Ms, My Love."


	10. Chapter 10

_Author note: Four times brodie-wan did crossovers and one time he didn't._

**Cube **

"Did you really do all of those things?" Amy said softly, pressing Rory against a display case.

"What _things_?" Rory asked, still enraptured by her emergence from the Pandorica.

Grabbing his arm, she pulled him toward the interactive display next to the giant box. She pressed the 'play' button and placed her head on his shoulder as they watched.

"Ah," he said knowingly. It felt so nice to have her clutching his arm and being close to him after so long. "Those things."

Well?" she encouraged.

"Oh, yes, Amy," he replied, kissing her forehead. "And I would have done more."

**Sphere **

The Doctor was met with a darkened corridor as he exited the TARDIS. Pulling his sonic screwdriver, he threw it in a wide arc and took a quick read of his data. Without a word he struck off from the police box with a determined gait.

When Amy caught up to him, the Doctor was observing a large spherical gateway with strange, ancient looking markings adorning its exterior.

"Hardly as practical as our transportation and limited in both the ability to travel in time and freely in space, it is none the less magnificent!"

"Magnificent," Amy replied through a yawn.

**Cone **

"Thank you for coming, Doctor," Maxwell Smart said in greeting. "You've arrived right in the nick of time."

"That's me," the time lord replied. "Nick of time. Though the super sonic whistle is only supposed to be for universal emergencies."

"That's exactly what we have here," the CONTROL agent answered seriously. "Step into the cone of silence."

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed as a small, transparent dome descended from the ceiling forcing him into a chair opposite Smart. "That hurt!"

"Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Your knowledge is sacrosanct."

"Does this contraption actually work?"

"That depends on who you ask."

**Cylinder **

Doctor McCoy exited sickbay with his head down, adjusting the dosage on a hypospray. His shoulder brushed another entering the corridor, causing him to drop the instrument.

"Pardon me," McCoy grumbled, retrieving his lost item.

"So sorry," replied the other man, also looking for something on the floor.

McCoy picked up the first thing that glinted of steel. His eyebrows furrowed, noticing the glowing cobalt tip and high pitched whirring.

"Doctor," said the other man, unceremoniously removing the sonic instrument from his hand and returning his hypospray.

"_Doctor_?" replied McCoy, confused.

"That's right," the other man answered. "Carry on, then."

**Pyramid **

Almost before the grinding, wheezing sound reached his ears, Artie knew trouble had come to the Warehouse. The questions that needed immediate answering were:

_Which one was he?_

_Who was with him?_

_What did he want?  
><em>  
>Turning from his research, he saw a young, gangly man with floppy brown hair, tweed, and a bow tie standing in front of the TARDIS.<p>

"New face, Doctor?" Artie asked, gruffly.

"Exactly, Arthur!" the Doctor replied buoyantly. "You've always been an observant one!"

"What is it this time?"

"Need to get into that Pyramid out there," the time lord explained, pointing out the window. 


End file.
